Cooking & Eating & Living in Paris (& Leaving it, sometimes)

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Football fans going to South Africa, beware…

…of dodgy food. Sure, you might get killed in the streets of Johannesburg, you might get robbed in Pretoria, become a victim of pickpockets in Durban, Rustenburg or Polokwane – yet as long as you follow the rules given by your tour operators and the organizers here, you should be fine concerning crime.

It is for sure though that you’ll be harmed by overloads of hamburgers, fish nuggets, fried chicken parts, you’ll gain weight drinking soft drinks all the time (with or without “booze”, as they call alcohol here), and you will hardly eat any fresh vegetables or salads. So you might like to think of bringing some vitamin pills…

Lunch in Port Elizabeth: a nice meal, finally.

You think I’m exaggerating? Well, listen to the South African inflight magazine of British Airways which I studied today on my flight between Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. Quote: “Rustenburg: A town tragically without decent eateries. It’s best to head off to Hartbeespoort (80 km away)…)” Another quote: “Polokwane: Exit the stadium and head straight for the gloriously retro-chic Ranch Hotel, 30 km outside town…” Doesn’t sound too encouraging, does it? Seems, there’s not much to be found in a walking distance.

The picture above shows my today’s lunch in Port Elizabeth: a good chunk of nice fresh fish (cod) with deep-fried potato “wedges” and a sort of salad. Yet what you don’t see is the majestic Indian Ocean rolling onshore only a 100 metres away, sparkling in the sunlight on a crystal clear winter day. That’s another, more important truth about South Africa: Quite often, you’re surrounded by such overwhelming natural beauty that you really don’t care about what’s on your plate.